I can’t complain - it’s been everything but dull this afternoon.
Instead of a much anticipated massage I found myself nearly at wits’ end,
trying to locate a taxi driver and my missing wallet.
Life in Singapore - for me - is generally
dull.
I should give up reading the Straits Times
and the Sunday Times because they set me up in a lousy mood for the rest of the
day, but old habits like enjoying my morning cuppa with printed newspapers are
hard to break.
So a couple of times a week I have
appointments for pilates or exercise to try and elevate my endorphin levels and
to get me going for the rest of the day.
Little did I realize that this Halloween
day would be rather different from my run-of-the mill days. Or that providence
would play a part in my insignificant existence.
This morning, after working out with a
Halloween ghoul in the gym, I finally got to be properly introduced to some
stallholders at Tekka market - by a girlfriend who regularly shops there.
My usual haunt is Tiong Bahru market
because I join a bunch of walkers (they walk too fast for me) for their après
walk beancurd or coffee fix.
But the markets are complementary and I’ll
probably revolve around the two. I find that if we are cooking local dishes,
Tekka has the herbs and spices. And TB market has it’s specialities.
After a sweaty workout and traipsing
through Tekka, I had a much needed shower and set off by bus for Suntec City to
meet a friend for lunch. It was a pleasant ride of only 15 minutes because it
was not rush hour and so we had a clear run down Orchard Road.
Despite signs warning bus passengers not to
do things like being violent with the Bus Captain, everyone was civilised and
the Bus Captain was patient with everyone who asked him if it was the right bus
or which bus they should take. And
seemed to know his way unlike some who reportedly have got lost.
My mind reflected on what visitors must think
of people here when they see such notices.
Anyway after catching up with my friend and
her news, I decided to catch a taxi to go home - because I had two bottles of
milk and was in a hurry to make my massage appointment.
Soon I was ensconced in the back of a
bright yellow Citycab after telling the driver my destination, “Claymore Road”,
which he repeated after me. Or so I thought.
But instead of heading for Rochor Road he
headed for the Helix Bridge with Marina Bay Sands framed in the windscreen. I
asked him which way he was going and he said, “AYE”.
“AYE to Claymore?”
“Yes”
“Whaat, why didn’t you go to Rochor Road or
go to Stamford Road,” I asked. He said, “you want to go Orchard Road ah?”
At that point we stopped at a set of lights
and I knew it was our last chance to avoid getting on an expressway, so I said
“you better turn around now because I don’t want to pay the fare.”
It seemed to have the desired effect
because we made a couple of turns and headed down Central Boulevard towards
Chinatown. Home, thought, but in more than the 11 minutes that gothere.com said
we’d take.
The we went off course again!
I would normally have turned right off
Havelock road - into Zion Road and past Shaw Centre. But he went past the
turning. To be fair the two turning lanes were chock full because of some road
works, but a bus was turning in front of us.
I remarked that the bus made the right
turn. “Bus make turn, can get fine. Never mind, I take you by Commonwealth” he
said.
My reply, “whaat, Commonwealth to go to
Claymore Road? Turn right at the next junction”.
“Turn right?”
“Yes, and then go straight, I don’t want to
go into Jervois Road”. Followed by, “turn left at the traffic light”.
In a few minutes as we approach ION on
Paterson Hill Road, he tried to filter into the left lane.
“Noooo, go straight”.
Then the penny drops, first for him, ”Oh,
my Engrish not good lah, I think you want to go Ghim Moh - you say Claymore.
Claymore, Ghim Moh.”
Then also for me - no wonder he wanted to
get onto the AYE and head west! But to me, Ghim Moh and Claymore did not and do
not sound the same at all!
Then we arrive at home; our condo’s security
guards are present. As we pulled up under the porch, he said,” Solly, ah, pay
me $10 enough” when the meter showed $12.22). And I obliged.
In a hurry, I stuff my wallet back in my
bag, pick up my phone and my two bottles of milk and alight from the taxi. But
as soon as I walk into the lift and fumble in my bag I realized I didn’t have
my wallet.
I rushed out and asked one of our guards to
get on his walkie talkie to get the guards at our two entrances to stop the
taxi. Being a nice fellow but a little slow he stands there and says, “ but
he’s gone already”! Grrr.
The first thought was to call Citycab - I
found some on their web site and I tried Lost and Found and the main booking
line - both led to an identical message about holding on and experiencing a
high call volume. I tried again - same result.
In desperation I dialed 999 expecting to be
turned away for calling on such a trivial matter as a wallet left in a taxi.
But no, a very polite young man insisted on
going by the SOP - taking down details and starting a report. I kept
interrupting him to say, “please do you have a number that will enable you to
reach the taxi company because I cannot get though and it’s important to reach
the driver as quickly as possible?”
In the end I did finish the report and was
given a report number. The policeman then advised me to follow up my report at
the nearest police station which he informed me was at Killiney Road. He also
said that I would be getting a call from the police.
So, feeling dejected I headed to the lift,
only for the phone to ring. After a brief conversation confirming the details
of my report the policeman who was on the other end revealed that they too
didn’t have any special number at which they could contact the taxi company.
Crumbs.
As soon as I got into our home, I called
the main line at Comfort Delgro, Dial A Cab and the Customer Service Centre.
Take it from me, you get the same message -
I can’t tell if they go into the same telephone or it’s a standard message
throughout the company but it’s amazing how both numbers led to the same
message.
I was frantic and I know that anyone trying
to book a taxi would be too! No wonder commuters complain about booking taxis
and at least three taxi apps (not to mention Uber) serve tiny Singapore.
The taxi companies are obviously saving
money on call centres and staff, all the better for shareholders dividends no
doubt!
Finally, the main line - which rang for
ages - was answered and I explained my predicament to the lady at the other
end. She took my name and number and said she would get one of the Customer
Service people to call me back.
Which they did.
I went through the whole story again with
John (at CDG’s end). At some point he also spoke to the taxi driver. Not only
did it transpire that the driver was not Jee Chiow Kai whose name I noticed on
the windscreen of the taxi, he was a man called Mr Lim!
Essentially, Mr Lim picked up a passenger
after dropping me off and delivered said passenger to Thomson Road, near the
Assisi Home.
After more too-ing and fro-ing, Mr Lim said
he had checked his taxi and could not find a wallet.
After talking to John again, altogether three
passengers had come and gone after Lim had dropped me off - and still no
wallet!
Oh dear, I thought, the taxi driver or the
first passenger must have come across the wallet and so I was at great pains to
get John to convey to Mr Lim that I was going to make a police report.
I emphasized to John that I was going to
say that I would tell the police that Lim was the first person that they should
check with - in the vain hope he’d be more forthcoming about the fare after me.
No dice, dry well.
I was about to leave home to make a police
report when our home phone rang. I
answered it.
A quiet well spoken man asked if I was “Elizabeth”
and I answered, “yes” - all the time wondering how in the world he knew a name
I was given shortly after birth but did not use (it figured in my official
documents until 2005 when I shortened my unwieldly name).
This unknown caller informed me that he had
found my wallet by the roadside near our home and apologized for looking inside
to try and identify the owner.
He piqued my curiosity even more when he
said he had an appointment in JB at 4:15 and that he was now at Woodlands and
would return my wallet later tonight or tomorrow.
He also said that because of his
appointment he was reluctant to bring the wallet to a Police station as it
would take time and he had this pressing appointment.
I pleaded with him that as I was leaving
early tomorrow, I needed the wallet urgently.
He said he was handing his taxi over to
another driver, someone else called Hussain who would try to come later to hand
it over. I said I’d be happy to pay the fare equivalent.
With a little prompting the called said his
name was Irwan (I later took his number from our Caller ID) and that his taxi
number was SHB 5839J.
I called Citycab and immediately (nothing
short of miraculous) connected with the Customer Care duty person. It was John
again. I gave him the taxi number which he checked out and reported that it was
not a Citycab.
At about 5:30p I received a call (no called
ID was displayed) by a man who identified himself as Hussain who said he was on
his way to return my wallet.
Within minutes, our security guards (by
then all those on duty were intrigued and wanted to know what was happening)
buzzed to say that someone was here to return my wallet.
When we went downstairs we noticed an SMRT
taxi and a man holding a small blue plastic bag (the sort shops pack stuff in).
He handed it to me and, lo and behold, my missing wallet. I took it out and
unzipped it - and everything looked to be present and accounted for!
You could have knocked me down with a
feather.
I thanked Hussain, extracted some money from
the wallet and handed it to Hussain. He politely decline but I was adamant that
he should take it and share it with Irwan who had found the wallet.
I asked where Irwan picked up my wallet and
was told he found it, I think, when he stopped and opened his door. Try as I might, I could not make sense of it.
How could a passing taxi driver notice or
stop almost on top of a 20cm x 14cm black wallet on or by the side of a road?
But then only Irwan would know and he was
not here.
All I can think of is that someone tossed it
out of the first taxi, but who and why?
Why not remove the cash, cash card, EZ Link
card first?
I could not remove sceptical looks on our
security team’s their faces - even after I reassured them that everything was
there.
Over to you, Sherlock!
